Tyranny of sectarianism
This week our loyalist brethren in the North will be celebrating
the victory in the 17th Century (1690) of the non-English
speaking Protestant William of Orange from the Netherlands who,
in alliance with the Pope, overthrew his Catholic father-in-law,
the English king James II at the Battle of the Boyne. The Orange
Order, which was founded 100 years later (1795), to defend
Protestant sectarian interests under a unifying banner, will once
again be organising this week's bonfires and marches.
In reality they will be celebrating the perpetuation of
Protestant colonist supremacy over the native Catholic Irish by
`kicking the pope' and beating their Lambeg drums into thunderous
resonance when they pass by nationalist districts.
Pomeroy, a 90% nationalist town in County Tyrone, got an early
taste of the 12th last Monday when over 200 RUC men blocked off
the town centre to allow an Orange throng to unveil an arch in
Main Street. The loyalist takeover is an annual event and lasted
until 1am Tuesday morning.
Were the 12th of July just a traditional festival then that would
be fine, but for nationalist districts of the North it is a time
of siege with areas like the Short Strand and Unity Flats in
Belfast being screened off and scores of towns being no place for
Catholics to get caught up in.
Their message is no surrender. But no surrender to what? They are
the ones who are slaves to British imperialism; they are the ones
corrupted by colonialism.
Phoblacht, Thursday 8 July 1982.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)